Automobile-truck.



D. E. SHIPLEY. AUTOMOBILE TRUCK. APPLIOATIQN FILED oT'MflQoa.

s; I 2 y n Q y attain,

D. E. SHIPLEY. AUTOMOBILE TRUCK. PPLIUATION FILED 001214, 1908.

Patented Apr. 9,'1912.

Q) agg/unify attoznu,

11B. SHIPLBY. AUTOMOBILE TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.14,190B.

1,02 3,045, Patented Apr.9, 1912.

l 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3. /f-l i ,Q5 Q

(s (s rwenfon D. E. ,SL-RIPLEY.

AUTOMOBILE TRUCK.

APPLIGATION FILED y00114. 190sA 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4,

vwanias 'b2/@Human Patented Apr.' 9, 1912.

atlosmst WED-STATES' P'ArENi-i ormone l DAVID ELHANNA sHiPLnY, oF'JpfiLIN, MissoUR1- AU'roMo-BILEfTRUCK.

To all whom it may clocem:

' Be it known that I, DAVID LHANNA SHIPLEY, a citizenof the UnitedStates, re-Q siding 'at Joplin, in the county 'of'.Jasper 'and State' of Missouri, have invented new and' useful Im `rovements in" Automobile- Trucks, 4ofwhic the following is a specification.

` This invention relates to trucks'. and more particularly to those for use in connection with autombiles. p i

Heretoforeautomobiles and trucks for`ordinary'` vehicles have been provided'with four Wheels lixedj'or mounted tothe body portion of the vehicle, and from experience,` it has been found` that upon'paved or con-fl crete streets the wheels cutor` embed v,themselves therein incident to the unequal distribution of the weight from the truck and the load carried thereby, and it is therefore -an object of this invention to providek a i and to permit the truck toxtravel with 'less 5 resistance, thus utilizing'less motive power.'`

Y yso c A'further objectt isto provide Aa truck' of the character set forth with six independent drive wheels, thusfmaking each of thesaid wheels a propellerin itself so that frictional' 'engagement of each wheel against the surface'greatly increases the power of the vehicle, making it possible for the same to travel eifectil ely up hill, upon rough roads or-the like, a d further providing means so that in case of' breakage of either'ofthe independent drivewheels, theremaining ones may be relied upon to propel the vehicle.

A further object of this' invention is` to provide simple means for equally distribut.

ing to each wheelfthc samepower A further object of this invention is to provide a novel forni of steering mechanismadapted to cont-rolthe movement i of the front and rear bolster. v -A Other objects andadvantages will be ap- 56 parentas the knature of the invention is bet-V ter set forth, and, it will be understood that changes within the scopeofthe claims may be resorted `to without departing fromthe .spirit of the invention.

In the drawings, forming. a portion' ofl this specification and inwhichlike numerals of referencevindicate similar parts in the Specification. of Letters Patent.

j Patented Apr. 9,1912, Application filed October 14, 1.908. Serial No. 457,731.

scribed beams'may befof the well known T v -or angle liron Aform or if found desirable it is obvious that the saidbeams may be `constructed from wood. At thefront end, the

frame has mounted thereon -a cab 6 in which truck.

truck, 'and is-provided with depending leaf" maybe seated the operator or driver of the il j j. A- frontframe 47 is located .beneath the` springs 8 of"usual construction supported I upon `an axle 9 by means of clipsor the like lOlv The clips l10 have depending therefrom socket members l1 for a purpose to be hereinafter more -fully described. The axle 9 has loosely mounted thereon at its ends Wheels 12 which may be of the ordinary Aform used upon automobilesor like vehicles,

and as shown, each wheel is provided or has fixed theretoupon itshub a sprocket gear 13. The frame 7 is preferably of rectangular -form and comprises -ajfront bar 14, `a rear bar 15, and side bars k16. The side bars 16v are .provided with journal boxes '17 in which a horizontal shaft 18 is revolubly mounted." The shaft '18 has secured thereto at its ends sprocket gears'19 disposed in line with the gears. ljcarried by the wheels 12, and the said wheels' thus receive endless chain belts 20. w-

- A frame 21 is" 'mounted beneath the truck frame at the rear end-thereof and is similar in construction toy the 'previously described frame 7 and fis provided with vsprings 22 engaged by means of cli-ps 28 with a rear axle 24 having loosely mounted thereon at its endswheels 25 identical to the wheelsl2. The clips 23 have depending ently appear. vThe frame 21 is provided with' journal boxes 27 ldisposed. in alinementf- 1 vwitheach other so that they support a horizontal shaft 28. The wheels 25 have secured to theirlhubs sprocket` gears 29, andthe shaft 28 has secured thereto sprocket gears 30, the said gears 29 and 30 receiving cham belts 31, as clearly shown.

An intermediate frame 32 is mounted beneaththe center of the main truck frame, is provided with depending springs 33, and as shown, the said springs are connected by means of clips 34 to an intermediate hori- .zontalA axle provided at theends thereof with loose wheels 36. The wheels 36 have secured thereto sprocket gears 37 disposed in line with similar sprocket gears 38 upon a shaft 39. he shaft is journaled upon the frame 32 1n bearings 40. The sprocket gears 37 and 38 ust mentioned thus receive` endless chain belts 41. The clips 34 are provided with forwardly extending ears 42 which have pivotally mounted thereto the rear ends of stay rods 43the said rods having spherical heads 44 at their front ends seated in the socket members 11. The clips 34 are also provided with rearwardly extending ears 45 which have pivotally secured thereto the front ends of stay rods 46, the rear ends of the said rods being provided with spherical heads 47 seated in the socket members 26. By the provision of the .stay rods it will be seen that` they are universally connected to the front, rear and intermediate axles 9, 24 and 35.

The beams 3 are provided adjacent to 'their front and rear ends with depending i that the front', rear and intermediate axles are pivotally mounted beneath the truck frame and the axles are thus adapted for movement in a vertical plane.

Beneath the front end of the truck frame is mounted a motor 53 which may be of a construction bestrequired for the purpose, butwhich is connected by means of a universal joint 54 to universally connected drive shaft sections 55. The innermost shaft is connected and adapted to operate a transmission gear diagrammatically shown at 56. The said transmission gearing, it may be stated, is provided with a gear 57 in mesh with a gear 58 upon a shaft 59 mounted beneath the frame 32. The shaft 59 is universally connected as shown at 60 to a shaft has secured thereto a bevel pinion 65 in mesh With a bevel pinion 66. upon the shaft 18. By provision'of the telescopic sections 61 and 62 it will be seen thatrthey may be moved toward or away from each other as theframe 7A is moved angularly in a horizontal plane. The shaft 59, at the rear end y thereof, is universally connected as shown at 65 to ashaft section 67 `identical to the section 61, and the said section is slidable in a tubular section 68, and this section is universally connected as shown at 69 to a shaft 70 beneath the frame 21. The shaft 70 is provided at its rear vend with abevel pinion 71 in mesh with a pinion 72 upon the shaft 28. Then the motor 53 is in operation it is obviousthat power is equally distributed to each of the wheels 12, 25 and 36. l

A shaft 73 is mounted beneath the truck frame and is provided with drums 74 and 75. The drum 75 has wound thereon a chain or similar flexible element 76. At one end the said chain carries a rod 77 having an eye member at its rear end as shown at 78 to engage an eye bolt or the like 79 carried by the frame 21 adjacent to one side and at the front end thereof. The other endiof the chain 76 carries a rod 80 having an eye 81 at its forward end connected at 82 to the frame 7. As shown the eonnections for the rods 77 and 80 which are carried by the frames 7 and 21 are disposed in alinement'with ,each other. The drum 74 is provided with ya cable or flexible element 83 wound upon the said drum in an opposite direction tothe cable upon the drum 75. As shown the ends of the said vcable 83 are provided with rods v84 loosely connected at their outer .ends to the frames 7 and 21. The shaft 73 is provided at one end with a bevel pinion 85 in mesh with a similar pinion 86 upon a shaft 87 beneath the truck frame, and at the front end the shaft 87 is provided with a bevel Ipinion 88 in mesh With a pinion 89. The pinion 89 is adapted to,v be operated by a vertical shaft 90 having secured thereto at its upper end a steering wheel 91. The steering wheel 91 is located Within the cab 6 and is disposed within convenient reach of the operator or driver of the truck. n

From the construction herein set forth llt) and described it will be seen that each Wheel of the truck is a drive, and that equalpower is transmit-ted to each wheel making the machine extremely effective in hill climbing, or in traveling upon rough roads or the like.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the Weight of the truck is equally distributed to all the Wheels through the medium of th'e equalizing bars 49. By the provision of the sectional shafts for .op erating the shafts 18, 28 and 39 it is obvious that the said sections are capable of moving or bending When the front and rear axles are moved angularly. It will be understood that" the axles 9, 24 and 35"are yieldingly supported beneath the frames 7, 21and 32, .and that the frames aref connected to each 'ecr in such manner that they may move vertical plane.

andit will Aor well known controlling means may be v /Upon reference tol Fig. 2 `of the drawings it will appear that the intermediate frame 32 of the truck is lowered andthat the aXle 35 ofthe said frame'is lower than the aXles 9 and 24. In this incidence it is obvious that the truck frame remains in a parallel position with respect -to the surface or ground upon which it travels and should the wheels come in contact with an obstructiom' or should they roll into aditch it will bev yseenv that equal weight is distributedv to the axles as .describedglIt Ymay be mentioned that the shaft 5-9 is provided with a worm gear 92 which is in mesh with a wormgear 93 upon the shaft 39.

A brake mechanism is indicated diagrammatically at 94 in Fig. 4 of the drawings, be understood that anyxsuitable provided for the said mechanism and that the" said mechanism may be of any well known type.

The rods 80 and 84ncarried by the chains 7 6 and 83 are preferably made in sections, and the said sections are connected to each other preferablyl by means of turn-buckles 95 in order that the said rods may be lengthi truck become inoperative it is obvious that` the remaining-wheels which, as heretofore ened orshortened to meetdifferent occasions. i'

Should one or more of the wheels for the mentioned, are independent drive wheels will effectively s erve to propel the vehicle.

Having thus described the invention what ,is claimed as new, is

I 1. In a truck 'of the character described, aj main frame', end frames located beneath the main frame for vertical andswinging move# ment, an intermediate frame connected with said end frames .for vertical movement, movable supporting means connecting the main frame with the end frames and with-the intermediate frame, driven wheeled axles s upportedby. the. end frames and by the intermediateframe, a plurality of drums mounted upon said 'main ends thereof' and in alinementwith said in termediate frame, flexibleU connections be'- tween said drums and said end frames,I said connections being'wo'und iii relatively opposite directions on the drums, and ineans for frame intermediate the the said end frames for vertical movement,

brackets depending from said main frame,

y' equalizing bars mounted in said brackets for pivotal movement, said bars connecting the mainV frame v ith the end frames and inter- Y mediate frames and interconnecting said intermediate and end'frames. and permitting i verticalmovement of the said intermediate and end frames relative'to the main frame,

driven wheeled axles supported by the' end frames and the intermediate frames, a'plurality of frame intermediate the ends thereof and in alinement with said intermediate frame.-

flexible connections between said drums and 'said end frames, said connections l being wound in relatively opposite directions on-A` the drums, and" means for operating the drums to swing said end frames in opposite directions independently of thevertical movement of the end frames and intermediate frame wherebyto steer the truck.

In testimony whereof I afiX my signature in-presencejof two witnessesk DAVIDELHANNA SHIPLEY.

I 'Witnessesz p v "HoRAon'MiiRRri'r,

CHAs. A. CRAvi'iNs..

drums,l mounted upon y said main 

